Circular knitting machine for the manufacture of ladies&#39; stockings



Jan. 9, 1968 R. P. M. HIN 3,362,196

CIRCULAR.KNITTING MACHINE FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF LADIES STOCKINGS Filed Feb. 1, 1965 FIG.1

INVENT OR ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,362,196 CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE FOR THE MANU- FACTURE OF LADIES STOCKINGS Robert P. M. Hin, Aerdenhout, Netherlands, assignor to Nittex A.G., Vaduz, Liechtenstein, a corporation of Liechtenstein Filed Feb. 1, 1965, Ser. No. 429,419 Claims priority, application Netherlands, Dec. 11, 1964, 64-14,490 2 Claims. (Cl. 66-408) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Single feed circular knitting machine for knitting an arcuate area of run-resistant fabric contiguous to a complementary arcuate area of conventional fabric, with the yarn passing course-wise without interruption from one arcuate area into the other arcuate area, the area of runresistant fabric having yarn loops in selected courses of a larger size than the yarn loops in the area of conventional fabric.

This application comprises a continuation-in-part of my pending application Ser. No. 419,835, filed Dec. 21, 1964, now Patent No. 3,318,112, for a Ladys Stocking Manufactured on a Circular Knitting Machine.

The described features of the invention are explained with reference to the accompanying drawings by means of an example. These drawings show in:

FIG. 1 a side view of part of a seamless circular knitted ladys stocking of which the zone above the heel has been knitted according to the invention,

FIG. 2 a side view of a sinker commonly used in manufacturing a normal plain knitted ladys stocking,

FIG. 3 a side view of a sinker to be used in the knitting during the formation of the run-resistant zone and the plain knitted fabric adjoining in circumferential direction, and

FIG. 4 a portion of the sinker cap with some cams.

In this specification, backfloating knitted fabric is meant to indicate a fabric in which yarn floats are formed in selected wales and courses.

The stocking shown in FIG. 1, consists of a double welt 1, the leg 2, the instep or upper portion 3 of the foot, the heel 4, the sole portion 5 of the foot and the toe 6. The stocking has been knitted in the direction from the welt towards the toe and, as regards the leg and the foot, in this example of plain knitted fabric.

For normally knitting such a stocking, i.e. without applying the invention, the entire sinker ring is equipped with sinkers 7 according to FIG. 2 with a butt 8 and in front of the throat 9 an edge 10 for supporting the knitting yarn. A description of the operation is not necessary since for single-feed circular knitting machines these sinkers are generally used and are controlled in the usual manner by cams in the sinker cap in co-operation with the needles of the needle cylinder.

According to the invention it is possible on a single feed circular knitting machine when circular knitting to alternate plain, micro-, or backfloating knitting in circumterential direction with run-resistant knitting. An example thereof is zone 11 in FIG. 1 which is of run-resistant knitting and merges on both sides of the lower leg above the heel 4 in the ordinary knitting.

For this purpose a number of sinkers 7 (for example 170 of a total of 400 sinkers) have been removed and replaced by sinker 12 according to FIG. 3. These sinkers diifer from the sinkers 7 according to FIG. 2 in that they have a higher butt 13 and that in front of the portion 10 located in front of the throat 9 and constituting the edge for the knitting loop a lower portion 14 is provided. The

3,352,196 Patented Jan. 9, 1968 ice total (radial) length of the sinker is the same. On the portion 10 large loops and on the portion 14 smaller loops are made. Portion or ledge 14 of sinker 12 is disposed at the same level as portion or ledge 10 of sinker 7. Thus, yarn loops drawn on ledge 10 of sinker 7 will be of the same size as yarn loops drawn on ledge 14 of sinker 12. The sinkers 7 operate in the normal manner in the knitted fabric extending in vertical direction, whereas the sinkers 12 of the group for run-resistant knitting are periodically influenced by an additional cam 15 in the sinker cap. Said cam 15 is moved inwards at one course and outwards at the next course, i.e. turn and turn about, so that in consequence of the influencing of the high butts 13 of these sinkers at one course the large loops are made on the edge 10 and at the next course the smaller loops are made on the lower edge 14. In connection with the movement of the sinkers required for this purpose a portion of the central cam 17 has been removed at 18. The distance 19 in FIG. 4 corresponds with the distance from +7 needles after the last visible needle to +2 needles after the last visible needle. In this case means between the 2nd and 3rd needle or between the 7th and 8th needle respectively. The last visible needle is that needle which when being lowered during the rotation of the needle cylinder is with its head still at the same level as the upper edge of the sinker. Any other needle will then be above or below the upper edge of the sinker. From that point onwards one counts two needles or seven needles respectively towards the left.

Thus, it will be seen that radially movable sinker cam 15, when in advanced position, will insert the high butt sinkers 12 into the needle circle at a relatively earlier period of time during the rotation of the needle cylinder, thereby permitting the needles to draw yarn over the relatively high sinker ledges 10 of those sinkers. Because sinkers 7 have relatively low butts, they are not influenced by cam 15.

The movable cam 15 in the sinker cap, which acts on the high butt of the sinkers 12 may be controlled by means of two segments of the driving toothed wheel which by means of a set of toothed wheels drives the needle cylinder such that said cylinder performs four rotations in the time within which the driving toothed wheel performs only one rotation. By providing two segments on said toothed wheels it is possible to cause a movement by which the cam 15 is pushed inwards every second knitting course via transmission rods. It is also possible to eifect the control of the cast-off sinkers with the portions 10 and 14 of diiferent height in front of the throat in some other way according as the existing machine(s) renders (render) this possible or this has been taken into account in new machines.

Although part of the machine is provided with the special sinkers 12 and the rest with ordinary sinkers for plain knitting, nevertheless the machine may manufacture before the zone 11 of run-resistant knitting also plain, micro-, or backfioating knitting without the necessity of changing the sinkers. In order to alternate locally and along part of the circumference of the stocking a runresistant knitted fabric with a diiferent knitted fabric it is necessary that the sinker cap may turn over :5 needles such that the plain knitted portion of the stocking is knitted at :2 needles after the last visible needle.

This is done by means of a pull rod at the sinker cap, which is moved by a segment on the main drum. The heel and the toe may be either knitted by narrowing and widening or circular knitted and subsequently pressed in shape, in particular if nylon or other synthetic thermoplastic materials are used.

By single feed circular knitting machines those circular knitting machines are intended in which per knitting cam one feeding point for the knitting yarn is provided. A supply of additional yarns for reinforcing the heel or toe or for other purposes naturally has been left out of consideration.

I claim:

1. In a single feed circular knitting machine having a complement of independent needles and sinkers for knitting an arcuate area of run-resistant fabric contiguous to a complementary arcuate area of conventional fabric, with the yarn passing course-wise without interruption from one arcuate area into the other arcuate area, said area of run-resistant fabric having yarn loops in selected courses of a larger size than the yarn loops in the area of conventional fabric, the combination includmg:

(a) a plurality of low butt sinkers each having a neb and a yarn drawing ledge disposed in front of the neb,

(b) a plurality of high butt sinkers each having a neb and two yarn drawing ledges, one disposed above the other, disposed in front of the neb,

(c) a stationary sinker cam for acting on the butts of the sinkers to advance all sinkers into the needle circle to permit the needles to draw yarn over the yarn drawing ledges of the low butt sinkers and over the low yarn drawing ledges of the high butt sinkers, and

(d) a radially movable sinker cam in advance of said stationary sinker cam for acting on the butts of the high butt sinkers to advance said sinkers into the stationary sinker cam advances the sinkers into the needle circle.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,641,554 9/1927 Scott 66108 X 1,821,848 9/1930 Pons 66108 2,080,377 5/1937 Nebel 66108 X 2,337,153 12/1943 Cloutier 66108 3,172,274 3/1965 Anthony et a1 66-108 3,197,978 8/1965 Scheeler 66-169 3,209,557 10/ 1965 Lagerweij. 3,216,223 11/1965 Margulies 66-178 3,238,748 3/1966 York et a1 66178 3,260,072 7/1966 Millar et al 66108 X 3,307,377 3/1967 Irnboden 66--108 3,318,112 5/1967 Hin 66l08 FOREIGN PATENTS 526,280 9/ 1940 Great Britain.

834,560 5/1960 Great Britain.

952,050 3/ 1964 Great Britain.

WM. CARTER REYNOLDS, Primary Examiner.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No 3 ,362 ,196 January 9, 1968 Robbert P. M. Hin

ppears in the above numbered pat- It is hereby certified that error a aid Letters Patent should read as ent requiring correction and that the s corrected below.

In the heading to the printed specification, line 4, for

"Robert P. M. Hin" read Robbert P. M. Hin column 2 line 20 for "+7" and "+2"' read +7 and +2 fine 21, for read i Signed and sealed this 20th day of August 1968.

(SEAL) Attest:

EDWARD J. BRENNER Edward M. Fletcher, Jr.

Commissioner of Patents Attesting Officer 

